The Mississippi State football team went up early against No. 5 Georgia on Saturday but couldn’t hold on, ultimately falling 41-31.
Following a first-possession punt, Mississippi State defensive back Brice Pollock intercepted a Carson Beck pass on Georgia’s first drive of the game. The Bulldogs turned it into three points off the foot of kicker Kyle Ferrie from 47 yards out.
Unfortunately, for Mississippi State, this would be its last lead of the day as Georgia rattled off 13 unanswered points by way of two field goals and one touchdown.
Jeff Lebby’s squad managed to keep the game interesting, though.
Halfway through the second quarter, Mississippi State made it a one-possession game again when freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren, Jr., found Kelly Akharaiyi on a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Georgia responded with two more touchdowns to take a 27-10 halftime lead.
A big third quarter that included rushing touchdowns from Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth kept Mississippi State in the fight, down 34-24 going into the fourth quarter. Both teams then traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make for the game’s final score.
Leading the stat sheet for Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC) was Van Buren with 306 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Kevin Coleman, Jr., had 103 receiving yards on eight catches while Akharaiyi finished with 72 yards and two touchdowns. Stone Blanton had nine tackles out of the middle linebacker position.
For Georgia (5-1, 3-1), Beck finished with 459 passing yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. The rushing attack was balanced with Antony Evans III, Nate Frazier, Trevor Etienne, and Branson Robinson combining for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Arian Smith led the receiving corps with 134 yards on five catches with one score. Defensive back Malaki Starks had seven tackles.
Next up for Mississippi State will be the team’s third consecutive game against an AP Top 15 opponent. Texas A&M will travel to Starkville for an Oct. 19 matchup that will begin at 3:15 p.m. CT and be televised by SEC Network.
